Duplicating machine



Feb.5,1935; J, EEUTH 1,990,276

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MQ@ /s SV QAM/ kw ww hh Patented Feb. 5, 1935 UNITED "STATE DUPLICATING MACHINE John E. Euth, Chicago, Ill., assignor to United Autographic Register Co., Chicago, lll., a corporation of Illinois Application June 22, 1933, Serial No. 677,127

13 Claims.

'I'his invention relates particularly to duplicatingv machines adapted to the purpose of llingin the forms of continuous-form stationery, and to improved means for manipulating the stationery in the machine.

,The primary object of the invention is to provide a simple, leasily operable device for aligning stationery strips in writing position on the platen, and a tensioning device for drawing the stationery taut in writing position. A further object of the invention is to provide an aligning and tensioning device which will permit a plurality of strips of stationery to be threaded through the device simultaneously.

'15 A further object of the invention is to provide an improved method for aligning and tensioning stationerywherein folds at the transverse lines `of weakening may be utilized to draw the strips into alignment and tension the same. In' accordance with the present invention, register pins are provided on the frame of the' machine, in advance of the flat platen, to engage register-perforations in continuous-form stationery led over the platen. A tensioning device is provided theA rear of the platen which is in the' form of a thin-edge blade adapted .to form a sharp fold at the lines of weakening in the stationery, and then move rearwardly to exert a tension on the strips.V The invention is illustrated in a preferred em' bodiment in the accompanying drawings, in

which- 0 Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a machine embodying the invention; Fig. 2, a broken plan View of the same, with the typewriter. removed; Fig. 3, a broken longitudinal sectional view, taken as indicated at line 3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4,"an enlarged broken longitudinal sectional view, similar to Fig. 3, showing the tensioning device in released position; Fig, 5, a broken sectional view, taken as indicated at line 5 of Fig.- 2; Fig. 6, a sectional view of the .guide-member, taken -as indicated at line 6 of Fig. 2; Fig. 7, a broken side elevational view of the auxiliary frame of the tensioning device;.Fig. 8,`an enlarged elevational view showing one end ofthe auxiliary frame and slide in locked position; Fig.' 9, an enlargedA broken elevational view of the pitman and crank for rocking 'the guide-member; Fig. 10, a vertical sectional view of the stationery roll and its sup# porting member; and Fig.v 11, a broken sectional view of the depending hanger and shaft for supporting the roll. i g,

In the embodiment illustrated, A designates a mainframevcomprising standards A', a surmounting bed A2 in which is mountedl a platen A3; JB, a

typewriting machine movably mounted on the bed A2; C, a carbon-supply device carried by the bed of the machine; D, .a clamping device operating in front of the platen A3; E, an aligning and tensioning device mounted between the arms of c 5 the bed A2; and F,tmultiplestrip stationery supported beneath the aligning and tensioning device E. A

The frame A is of known construction having standards A connected by cross-rods 10 which 10 are held by nuts 10a. The bed A2 is xedly'` mounted on the standards and comprises arms connected at the rear by cross-rod 11,l held bynuts 11a, and at the front, with cross-bars 12.

Like the frame, the platen A3 is standard i5 equipment and is mountedvin a manner usual to this type of machine. Such mounting is described in my co-pending application, Serial No. 391,207, filed September 9, 1929. The rear portion of the platen is held in raised position `by means of a system of levers supported on afront rock shaft 13 and a rear rockv shaft 14.

The front rock shaft is provided with a 'depend ing arm 13a, and the rear rock shaft with an arm 14a. The arms 13a and 14a are connected by means of a tension spring 15. The rock shaft 14 is further provided with rigidly connected, forwardly extending arms 16 which engage the Y bifurcated ,end of bell cranks 17, of the clamping device D, which is journaled on the shaft 13. A lever arm 18 is pivoted at 19, to the arm 16, and its front end bears against the lower side of the rock shaft 13. Therear portion of the lever arm 18 is connected to a rod 20 which may be drawn downwardly by means of a treadle 21 which is pivoted at 22 to a fixed arm 23 on the cross-rod 10. The mechanism just described is ordinarily used to depress the writing platen, but for, the purpose of the present invention, this action is not necessary, and it is used merely to-raise the clamping device D and actuate the aligning and tensioning device E, as will be explained below.

Thev typewriting machine B may be of any well y known construction. It is capable of transverse movement in the` operation of printing words, Lcharacters, etc. and is movable longitudinally on the arms or rails which comprise the bed A2.

The carbon-supply device C comprises a multiple-strip carbon-supply roll 24 and a take-up roll 254 mounted on opposite sides of the vplaten inl brackets, 26, and is adapted to supply continuous-carbon strips across the platen.V

The clamping' device D comprises a tear-oil' bar 27 whichlis carried on 4the bell crank levers 17. and is provided with apertures 28 adapted to 55 slip over register pins 29, lwhich may be flxedly mounted on the front cross-bar 12. A pair of paper guides 30 are also attached to the cross-bar 12 in front of the clamping member and help to guide the stationery, while advancing the same over the platen.

The aligning and tensioning device E comprises an auxiliary frame 32 which is adapted to rest upon the rear cross-rod 11,`and upon a pair of studs 33 fastened to the bed A2 in the rear of the platen.

As shown in. Figs. 7-9,` the side portions of the frame 32 comprisechannel members 35 in which are mounted slide members 36. The slide members are provided with slots 37 through which studs 38 project, from the channel vmember 35, to make a lost-motion connection between the two. Springs 39 are connected tothe stud 38 and'to the slide members at 40. 'I'hese springs urge the slide members rearwardly.

A guide-member 41 extends through slots 35 in the channel members and is journaled in the slides 36. The end portions of the guide-member areequipped with cranks 42 which are held in position by screws 43. As best shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the guide-member is of triangular crosssection so as to provide a sharp edge 41'. To the lower side o f the guide-member is fastened a pair of U-shaped guide fingers 44. The latter fingers servev to direct the stationery properly as it is advanced from the source of-supply around the guide-member to the platen. A

The front ends of the channel members-35 are provided with L-shaped slots 45, and the front ends of the slides 36 are provided with L-shaped slots 46. A cross-member 47.ha s trunnions 47awhich extend through the.slots 45 and 46, and are connected to the cranks 42 by means of pitmans 48. The member 47 is urged rearwardly by tension-springs 49 which are connected to the slides 36 by means of studs 50. By this arrangement, it will be seen that the springs 49 urge the cranks 42 rearwardly and tend to hold the guidemember in the position indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 7. The springs 49 may be some-- what stronger than the springs 39 so that when the cross-member 47 is drawn forwardly, the slides will also move forwardly until the rear ends of slots 37 reach the studs 38, and by continuing to advance the member 47, the pitmans 48'will rock the guide member into the position shown in Fig. 4.

The cross-member 47 is actuated by means of a chain 50 which has one end adjustably con- -of' slips 55, which are provided with vregisterperforations 56, and are connected end-to-end at lines of weakening 57. The stationery may bev zig-zag folded or in theform of a plural wound roll 58 as shown. in Figs. 1 and 10. When a roll is used, the stationery is usually wound on a hol-v low cardboard core 59 whose ends 'are engaged by sheet metal bushings 60. These bushings are impaled by a shaft-61, having a disc 62 adjust` vably held by a screw 62m and a slidable disc 63 adapted to engage the bushings loosely and thereby form a slightly eccentric mounting for lthe roll so that the i roll will not spin while being un- '1,99o,2ve

wound. The disc 63 may 'be removed by dei'- pressing a spring-pressed plunger 64 in the shaft. The shaft 61 is prevented from turning by having cut-out portions 61 which engage slots 65 in supporting hangers 66 which are rigidly connected to the frame 3.2 by screws 66a.

If it is desired to use lzig-zag folded stationery,

69, in the, form of a bail, is pivotally connected' to the frame 32 and normally rests on the paper. However, the guide-member is provided with a cam-arm 70 which serves to raise the pressermember slightly when the guide-member -is rocked to the position shown in Fig. 4. Y To load the machine, the cross-member 47 drawn forwardly anddepressed in the front end of the slots 45 and 46 so that 'the guide-memberV 41 is in the position shown in Fig. 4. The `bail 69 may be swung rearwardly out of the way while loading the machine. The stationery strips are led back over the guide-member, slipped under the fingers 44, and led over the platen into engagement with the register pins which are made accessible through the raising of the tearoff bar by depressing the foot treadle 21, When the treadle is released, the cross-member 47 will have been raised out ofthe vertical portions' of the slots and will slide rearwardly.Y causing the guide-member to rock into the position shown in Fig. 3, thereby causing a sharp bend in the strips at their lines of weakening. The guidemember is then permitted to slide rearwardly further, under the iniiuence of springs 39, and

the edge 41n will bring the folds=of the strips into alignment and tension the stationery over the platen. After a set of formshas been filled. in, the treadle is depressed, which action will raise` the tear-off bar and bring the aligning and tensioning' deviceinto the position shown in Fig.

4. The strips are then lifted from the pins and pulled out until the next set of perforations may' be slipped over the pins. Thereupon the treadle may be released and the new set of forms is aligned and tensioned while the completed set may be'severed on the tear-off bar.

It will be understood that the slides and pitmans may be provided with a series of openings so as to be capable of adjustment to accommodate various lengths of forms. r

The foregoing detaileddescription has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, but the appended claims should be construed as broadly as permissible, in view of the prior art.

I claim:

1. In a machine of the character set forth: a frame provided with a platen overwhich continuous-form stationery strips may be led; said strips being provided with transverse lines of weakening between forms; means in front of said platen for engaging the advance ends of said. strips and limiting `their rearward movement; and opposed tensioning means in rear of said platen adapted to engage folds formed in the strips at over the platen.

the lines of weakening and draw said strips taut .n....W-P

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2. Mechanism as-specied in claim 1, in which the tensioning means is forwardly and rearwardly slidable in the frame.

auxiliary frame adapted to be carried by thel main frame of a machine; a pair of slides mounted in said auxiliary frame for forward and rearward movement therein; a slotted guide-member journaled in said slides; and means for actuating said slides and oscillating said guide-member.

6. Mechanism as set forth in claim 5, in which lost-motion connections are provided between the slides and auxiliary frame and springs serve to urge said slides rearwardly in the frame, the guide-member is provided with cranks having pitmans and springs urging the pitmans rearwardly with respect to the slide, and a crossmember serves to connect the forward ends of said pitmans, said springs being tensioned so that when the cross-member is moved forward, the guide-member will be moved forward prior to being oscillated.

'7. In a machine of the character set forth, a tensioning device comprising: a frame; forwardly and rearwardly shiftable slide-members mounted in said frame; a guide-member journaled in said slides and adapted to form a fold in a strip of stationery led thereover and draw the same rearwardly a presser-member adapted to press the stationery into engagement with said guidemember; and means for vreleasing the engagement of the presser-member when the guidemember is oscillated. y

8. In a machine ofthe character set forth, an aligning and tensioning device comprising: a frame having slides mounted so as to be forwardly and rearwardly shiftable therein; and a guidemember journaled in said slides, said guide-- -member comprising a bar having a thin edge and equipped with guide-fingers adapted to conne a. strip of stationery closely against said bar.

9. In a duplicating machine: a frame equipped with a -at platen over which stationery strips provided with register-perforations may be led;

.member so as to shift and rock the latter register pins mounted on said frame in front of said platen; a spring-held clamping member mounted on said frame and adapted to grip stationery engaged by said pins; tensioning mechanism mounted in said frame in rear of the platen comprising an auxiliary frame equipped with slides in which a guide-member is journaled, lever-means for shifting and rocking said guidemember to form a fold in said strips and tension the same over the platen; and treadle mechanism mounted on the main frame and adapted to release said clamping member and actuate said lever-means.

10. Mechanism as specified in claim 9, in which the lever-means comprises a bell crank, one end of which is engaged by the treadle mechanism and the other is equipped with a roller, said roller engaging a chain having one end adjustably connected to the auxiliary frame and the other end to a cross-member, and said cross-member engaging the slides and being linked to the guidewhen drawn forward by said bell crank.

11. In a machine of the character set forth:

a frame equipped with a platen and with a stationery-clamping device in advance of the platen;

an opposed movably mounted unit back of saidY platen comprising paper-bending and fold-engaging means; means tending to retract said unit; and manually operated means' serving to release said clamping device and paper-bending means and thereafter to reset said clamping device and bend the paper and urge the stationery rearwardly to align and tension the .same over the platen.

12. In combination in a machine of the character set forth: a platen; stationery-holding device in front thereof adapted to engage and limit the rearward movement of a plurality of stationery strips led over said platen; and a retractable stationery bending and tensioning device back of said platen, comprising a fold-engaging edge and associated means for forming a Afold in th stationery.

13. The method of aligning and tensioning continuous-form stationery equipped with uniformly spaced register-perforations and transverse lines of weakening between forms which comprises: engaging the register-perforations at the advance ends of the strips; and forming sharp folds at a line of weakening in a succeedingl por-l tion of the stationery and exerting force at the folds to valign and tension the strips. 

